Fluid-applying apparatus



Jan. 14, 1930. w. J. DE wlTT 1,743,884

l FLUID APPLYING APPARATUS Filed May 1'?. 1926 Patented Jari. 14, 1930 WILLIAM J. DE VITT, OF AUBURN, NEW YORK FLUID-APPLYING APPARATUS Application filed May 17, 1926. Serial No. 109,478.

This invention pertains to the manufacture of articles from sheet material and is herein specifically described with reference to the making of hollow shoe forms, the present invention being a. continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 5746 filed January 30, 1925. In my prior application I disclose a hollow form having a two-ply cross bar uniting its opposite edges and also improved mechanism for applying an appropriate fluid to the opposed faces of the plies of the bar prior to assemblage with the form whereby to cause said plies to adhere to the form proper.

In the present application I further illustrate and describe' said mechanism which, although particularly adapted for the specifre use referred to, is also well suited for applying adhesive or other liquid tov other articles having closely adjacent opposed surfaces which lmust be coated with fluid. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by wayof example in the accompanving drawings in which Fig. l is a plan view of a shoe form of the type disclosed in my prior application above referred to;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same form;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section to larger scale substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a transverse vert-ical section showing my improved fluid applying apparatus;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section transverse of the shaft of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4 showing the fluid applying wheel or disk in side elevation;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section illustrating apparatus employed in making my improved form,- the device of the present invention being shown in end elevation;

Figs. 7 and 8 are an edge elevation and a plan view respectively of the two-ply. cross bar which I employ in my improved form; and

Fig. 9 is a plan view to small scale of the cover of the fluid tank shown in section in Fig. 4.

Referring particularly to'Figs. l, 2, 8., 7 and 8 my improved form is designated by numeral l. This form is made of sheet material, preferably by a'molding process as more fully described in my prior application above referred to, and I prefer to employ sheet Celluloid as a material for use in making this form.,v f I I he form is hollow and adapted to fit snuglywithin a shoe and is preferably furnished with inwardly `directed flanges 2 and 3 at its opposite edges.

For stiffening the form I provide a cross bar at the ball portion of the' form, such cross bar being Vunited at its opposite ends to the flanges 2 and 8 respectively. I prefer to employ a two-ply cross bar madeof the same or similar material- "to that used -in making the form. As here shown this cross bar comprises the Lipper ply 4 andthe lower ply 5. These cross bars are `prepared prior to their attachment tothe form by securing the plies 4 and 5 together throughout their central portions Vby means ofsuitable lad.- hesive'or other appropriate means or material but the end portions 4, 5a, and 4b, 5b, of the cross bars are not connected to eachother, so that they may be flexed apart as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7.

ll-lhen the cross bar is to be applied to the form, the end portions of the plies of the bar are flexed apart to permit them to .be straddled over the flange of thel form so that as shown in Figm the end portion 4a of the upper ply lies above the flange 2 while the end portion 5b of the ply 5 lies belowthe flange 2.

In order to unite the endsl ofthe cross bar to the form it is desirable to coat the opposed surfaces of portions 4?, 5a, and 4b, 5b, respectively with some fluid adapted to cause them to adhere firmly to the form proper. While any suitable adhesive may be employed Il pre- Y fer, when the form is made of Celluloid, to use a liquid which constitutes a solvent for celluloid, for example acetone, so that when the opposed faces of the plies of the cross 'bar are moistened with this material and then pressed against the opposite surfaces of the anges of the form, they adhere to the latter in an integral and homogeneous manner.

Since the end portions of the cross bar are n quite stiff and resilient, it is difficult to introduce the fluid between them so as to coat the opposed surfaces thoroughly and uniformly and with the rapidity necessary for the commercial production of these forms. In order to overcome this difficulty I provide the apparatus herein shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

The improved apparatus forming the particular subject matter of the present invention comprises a tank 6, conveniently of more or less rectangular form, and adapted to contain fluid indicated at 7 As above stated this fluid may be an adhesive or a solvent for the material of the cross bar. This tank is provided with a removable cover 7a preferably having a depending flange 8` adapted to fit over the upper edge of the tank. The central part of this cover is preferably dished or concaved downwardly and at its central portion is provided with an elongate slot 10 for the reception of the fluid applying wheel or disk hereinafter described. Preferably this slot is of such shape as to conform quite closely' to that portion of the wheel which projects up through it so as to reduce evaporation of the fluid in the tank.

The opposite side walls of the tank 6 are furnished with downwardly directed Vslots 11 and 12 respectively for the reception of a rotary shaft 13 preferably provided with stop collars 14 which limit its endwise movement.

The shaft 13 projects outwardly beyond the walls of the tank, preferably at both ends, and to one end a knurled hand wheel 15 is secured. By grasping this hand wheel between the thumb and linger the operator may turn the shaft by hand if desired.

When this apparatus is to be used in conjunction with the form molding machine described in my application above referred to, I prefer to turn the shaft 13 in timed relation to the operation of the molding machine and for this purpose I secure a ratchet wheel 16 near the end of the shaft and provide a pawl carrying arm 17 free to oscillate upon the shaft adjacent to the ratchet wheel. This arm 17 carries a pawl 18 engaging the teeth of the wheel 16, and the arm 17 is connected by a link 19 to a bell crank lever 20 which forms a part of the molding mechanism. This bell crank lever 2O is actuated by a rod 21 and treadle 22 which are also employed as the actuating means for the molding mechanism.

While I have shown the pawl 18 as actuated .by the treadle 22 which operates the molding mechanism it is obvious that the pawl 18 might be operated similarly by means of a treadle provided especially for this purpose and having no connection with the molding or other mechanism.

A fluid applying wheel or disk 23 is secured to the shaft 13 substantially midway the side walls of the tank, this wheel being of a dialneter such that While its lower portion dips in.

the fluid 7 in the tank, its upper part projects up through the slot 10 in the cover 7a.

The applying wheel 23 is of approximately lenticular form, being provided with symmetrically'inclined or beveled outer faces 24 and 25 meeting to form an acute edge 26 at the circumference of the Wheel. The opposite faces 24 and 25 of the wheel are furnished with one or more concentric series of circumferentially spaced pockets or recesses 27. One convenient mode of providing these pockets is to drill holes through the entire thickness of the disk so that each pocket opensl at both faces of the disk.

In the operation of the device the user presses the end of the cross bar onto the sharp edge of the applying wheel 23 so that the wheel wedges the plies of the cross bar apart and enters between them. To facilitate this operation I prefer to cut away the corner of one ply 4 of the cross bar at each end as indicated at 4e and 4f so as to expose a small area of the other ply 5. To introduce the edge of the wheel between the plies the exposed area of the ply 5 is pressed against the side of the wheel thus flexing the ply 5 away fromv ply 4 to an extent sufficient to permit the edge of the wheel to enter between them. The fluid which coats the opposite surfaces of the wheel or disk and which is held by capillary attraction in te pockets 27 is thus spread over the opposed inner faces of the end portions of the cross barso that the latter are thoroughly and quickly coated. This process is repeated for both ends of the bar and then as above described the end portions of the plies of the bar are straddled over the fianges 2 and 3 and are pressed against the latter so that when the adhesive sets the cross bar is permanently united to the flanges of the form. As often as may be necessary the disk 23 is given a partial turn Vloo so as to supply a fresh coat of the adhesive or other fluid to its opposed faces. If, as shown in Fig. 6, the present apparatus is connected to the molding machine, a partial rotation of the applying wheel takes place once for each molding operation.

lVhile I have shown the pockets 27 in the wheel as of a circular contour I do` not wish to be limited in this respect, nor do I wish to limit myself to that specific angle between the faces of the wheel which is here illustrated, nor to the particular means for turning the shaft with its disk which has been described by way of example herein.

I claim:

1. `Apparatus of the class described comprising a tank for fluid, a removable rotary shaft, a disk secured to the shaft and having its lower part dipping in the fluid in the tank, the disk, having concentric series of circumferentially spaced pockets in its opposed faces for the reception of the fluid, a ratchet wheel secured to the shaft, a pawl for turning the ratchet, and means for oscillating the pawl to advance the shaft interinittently.

2. Apparatus of the class described for simultaneously applying a fluid to two opposed surfaces which comprises a tank for fluid, a rotary shaft, a substantially lenticular disk provided with a plurality of spaced perforations forming pockets for the reception of fluid, means for securing said disk to said shaft, said disk being arranged substantially vertically so as to dip into said fluid, and means for rotating said disk.

3. Apparatus for applying adhesive fluid simultaneously to two opposed surfaces cornprising a tank for the fluid, a substantially horizontal rotary shaft extending transversely of the tank, a lenticular disk secured to the shaft with its lower part arranged to dip into the liquid in the tank, said disk having a plurality of transverse perforations providing fluid receiving recesses in its opposite sides, means for rotating the shaft, and a cover for the tank having a slot through which the upper part of the disk projects, said cover having a concave .upper surface whereby fluid dropping thereon runs back into the tank through the slot.

4. Apparatus of the class described coinprising a tank for fluid, a cover for said tank provided with a slot therethrough, a rotatable shaft extending horizontally, a disk mounted upon the shaft its lower part dipping into the fluid in the tank and its upper part projecting above the cover through the slot therein, said disk having transverse perforations therethrough which act as pockets to receive the fluid.

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising a tank for fluid, a cover for said tank provided with a slot therethrough, a rotatable shaft extending horizontally, a disk mounted upon the shaft its lower part dipping into the fluid in the tank and its upper part projecting above the cover through the slot therein, said disk being lenticular in conformation having a sharp peripheral edge and provided with transverse perforations therethrough which act as pockets to receive the fluid whereby the disk will separate layers of material and apply fluid to the sepai rated faces.

Signed by me at Auburn, New York, this 13th day of May, 1926.

WILLIAM J. DE WITT. 

